Apparatus for filling a case with a number of ampules



p 1969 HIDEO TATIBANA 3,465,497

APPARATUS FOR FILLING A CASE WITH A NUMBER OF AMPULES Filed Feb. 6, 1968 4 Sheds-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Sept. 9, 1969 H1050 TATIBANA 3, 5,

APPARATUS FOR FILLING CASE WITH A NUMBER OF AMPULES Filed Feb. 6, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

INVENTOR BY 4 an I ATTORNEY Sept. 9, 1969 HIDEO TATIBANA 3,465,497

APPARATUS FOR FILLING A CASE WITH A NUMBER OF AMPULES Filed Feb. 6, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 3 22 5 55 39 ll /7 f 23 \ikumm ATTORNEY p 1969 HIDEO TATIBANA APPARATUS FOR FILLING A CASE WITH A NUMBER OF AMPULES Filed Feb. 6, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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W 5/ na Mh INVENTOR BY F'wm ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,465,497 APPARATUS FOR FILLING A CASE WITH A NUMBER OF AMPULES Hideo Tatibana, 3-5 Nakano, 6-chome, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, Japan Filed Feb. 6, 1968, Ser. No. 703,302 Claims priority, application Japan, Mar. 18, 1967, 42/ 16,964 Int. Cl. B65]: 35/34 US. Cl. 53246 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present apparatus is adapted to send automatically and smoothly a number of ampules which were fed and set upright at random places on an ampule supplying table, into an ampule receiving case which is located adjacent to the downstream end of said table. The table is provided with a pair of pivotally oscillatable wings adjacent the downstream end thereof in order that the ampules may enter automatically and smoothly into a plurality of channels formed within said case, without stagnating at the entrance thereof.

The ampules may be advanced on said ampule supplying table by means of an electromagnetic vibration means or a belt conveyor, said vibration means being secured to the bottom surface of said table, said belt conveyor being positioned within a hole which is made by cutting out square the portion of said table so that it may have its upper surface substantially flush with the upper surface of said table to form a portion of the ampule supplying table.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for filling a case with a number of ampules, and particularly to an apparatus adapted to send automatically and smoothly a number of ampules into an ampule receiving case having channels to accommodate the ampules in rows.

It is an object of the invention to send automatically and smoothly a number of ampules, which were successively supplied and set upright at random places on an ampule supplying table, into an ampule receiving case which is to be located adjacent to the downstream end of said table.

Another object of the invention is, by providing a pair of pivotally oscillatable wings adjacent the downstream end of said table, that the ampules may be sent automatically and smoothly into a plurality of channels formed within said ampule receiving case without stagnating at the entrance thereof.

According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for filling a case with a number of ampules, comprising a table plate and means for advancing the ampules, which are successively set upright at random places on said table plate, to the downstream direction thereof, so that the ampules may be sent into a plurality of channels which are defined by a plurality of partition walls mounted parallel to the flow direction of said advancing ampules within an ampule receiving case, said case being adapted to be located adjacent to the downstream end of said table plate, characterized by a pair of wings pivotably mounted on the downstream ends of a pair of side walls formed along the opposite edges of said table plate, and means for pivotally oscillating said wings simultaneously in the same directions.

The present invention will be made more apparent from the following description made in reference to the accompanying drawings which show some preferred embodiments thereof, and in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of an embodiment of the present apparatus,

3,465,497 Patented Sept. 9, 1969 FIGS. 3 and 4 are a plan view and a side view, respectively of the present apparatus as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in use, for explaining an ampule arranging operation.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of a partition plate for retaining ampules in a receiving case,

FIGS. 7 and 8 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of another embodiment of the present apparatus.

In the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2, an ampule table 1 comprises a table plate 1', and a base plate 1", and the table 1 may be supported at the bottom surface thereof by an electromagnetic vibration means 2, which may be in turn securely fixed on base stand 3 through suitable spring means 4.

The upstream portion of the table plate 1' of said ampule table 1 serves as an ampule supplying section 5, and the downstream portion thereof serves as an ampule arranging section 6. A number of ampules are fed to and set upright at random places on said supplying section 5. The ampules may be advanced on said table plate 1' to the right of FIGS. 1 or 2 by means of an electromagnetic vibration means 2, and the ampules are rectified in the arranging or rectifiying section 6 so that they can fiow smoothy without stagnating there to the right of said section 6. Lastly, as explained later in detail, the ampules are received in channels formed between side walls and a plurality of partition walls in a receiving case in regular order, said receiving case being adapted to be connected to the downstream portion of said rectifying section (see, for instance, FIG. 3).

The table plate 1' of the ampule table 1 is provided with a pair of side walls 11, 12 to prevent the ampules from dropping down from the sides of the table plate 1. The height of said walls is made comparable to that of the body portion of the ampule to be treated. Pivotal wings 15, 16 are pivotably mounted on the downstream ends of said walls 11, 12 by means of hinges 17, 18, respectively so that the pivotal wing may be supported in a plane normal to the upper surface of said table plate 1 and the lower edges of these wings may move along the upper surface of said table plate 1'. Said =wings 15, 16 are also functionally connected to a rod 21 extending transversely of said plate 1' thereunder through a pair of upstanding pivoting pins 23, 24, respectively, which are suitably secured to said rod 21. The lengthwise reciprocating motion of said rod 21 causes said pivotal wings 15, 16 to pivot about said hinges 17, 18, respectively. Any suitable means may be used to reciprocate said rod 21. The installation of said wings 15, 16 on said rod 21 is preferably such that as shown in FIG. 1 when one of said wings is slightly pivoted toward the inward of said plate 1', the other wing is directed parallel to one of the longitudinal edges of said table plate 1.

The downstream edge E of said table plate 1' is provided with a pair of check walls 27, 28 on the opposite sides thereof for the purpose of preventing the ampules from dropping down from the table plate 1'. It is preferable that the width of said check wall 27 or 28 is substantially equal to the displacement of the tip of the corresponding Wing 15 or 16.

Said base plate 1 extends to the downstream direction of said table plate 1 between two check walls 27, 28 to support an ampule receiving case 35 thereon as will be explained hereinafter.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a state that the predetermined number of ampules are being received in said receiving case 35 mounted on the present apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the receiving case 35 is mounted on the base plate 1" of the present apparatus, the locating of said case 35 on said base plate 1" may be attained by the engagement of clips 33, 34 mounted on a pair of horizontal lugs 31, 32, respectively, secured to the opposite sides of the base plate 1" near the downstream end thereof, with recesses 39, 40 formed in a pair of horizontal lugs 37, 38, respectively, secured to the opposite sides of the receiving case 35 near the downstream end thereof. The receiving case 35 is shaped like a dustpan as defined by a bottom plate and three side walls, Le. a pair of longitudinal side walls 41, 42 and a transverse side wall or rear wall 43, and the remaining side or front side is open so as to receive ampules which will be sent progressively into said case 35. The receiving case 35 is also provided with a plurality of partition walls 45 which extend throughout substantially entire length of said case 35 in a parallel relationship to said longitudinal side walls 41, 42. The partition walls 45 will define a plurality of ampule receiving channels 47 therebetween. The width between the 1011- 'gitudinal side walls 41, 42 is preferably defined substantially equal to the distance between the innermost positions of the tips of the pivotal wings 15, 16.

In operation, when the present apparatus, fitted with the receiving case 35 with their bottoms in flush relation, as shown in FIG. 3 or 4, is subjected to vibration by the electromagnetic vibration means 2, a number of ampules which were successively set upright at random places on the supplying section 5 of the table plate 1' will be generally advanced downstream. These ampules will come into collision with the upstream ends of said partition walls 45 and will show a tendency to stagnate near said upstream ends. However, these ampules may be prevented from stagnating there as they are shaken from side to side by means of the pivotal wings 15, 16, and the ampules will be readily sent into the ampule receiving channels 47 to fill up the receiving case 35 therewith.

Then, the vibration means 2 is stopped, and a partition plate 50 (FIGS. 5 and 6) may be inserted from above in contact relation with the upstream surfaces of the check walls 27, 28 to separate the ampules retained within the receiving case 35 from ones on the table plate 1'. Thereupon, a pair of lugs 51, 52 formed on the opposite sides of said partition plate 50 at right angles thereto will abut on a pair of further lugs 55, 56, respectively, which are also fixed horizontally 0n the outer surfaces of the opposite side walls 41, 42, respectively, of the receiving case 35. Thus, the receiving case 35 and the partition plate 50 are removed in a body together with the ampules loaded therein from the present apparatus with said stacked lugs 51, 55; 52, 56 being respectively held together with both hands of an operator, and can be transferred to a succeeding processing station paying careful 5O attention to prevent the ampules from dropping from the receiving case 35.

The embodiment'of FIGS. 7 and8is generally similar to that of FIGS. 1 and 2 except that a belt conveyor 60 is used in place of the electromagnetic vibration means 2. In this embodiment, the upstream portion of the table plate .1. or ampule supplying section is largely cutout square, and the belt conveyor 60 is positioned within a hole thus made so that it may have an upper surface 61 substantially flush with the upper surface of the table plate 1'. The clearance between the cut-out hole and the contour of said upper surface 61 must be narrowed to the extent that the movement of ampules is not hindered.

.While the present invention has been described in connection with particular embodiments, it is to be understood that various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for filling a case with a number of ampules, comprising a table plate and means for advancing the ampules, which are successively set upright at random places on said table plate, to the downstream direction thereof, so that the ampules may be sent into a plurality of channels which are defined by a plurality of partition walls mounted parallel to the flow direction of said advancing ampules within an ampule receiving case, said case being located adjacent to the downstream end of said table plate, characterized by a pair of wings pivotably mounted on the downstream ends of a pair of side walls formed along the opposite edges of said table plate, and means for pivotally oscillating said wings simultaneously in the same directions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 378,010 2/1888 Kittinger 53263 884,743 4/ 1908 Leuenberger 53236 X 2,013,555 9/1935 Deeren 53157 X 2,219,827 10/1940 Kimball 53166 X 2,846,830 8/1958 Bossi 53246 X 2,907,158 10/1959 Labrozzi 53126 3,054,235 9/1962 Edgerly 53142 X 3,090,178 5/1963 Furst 53-246 3,397,504 8/1968 Drennan.

WAYNE A. MORSE, JR., Primary Examiner Us. 01. X.R. 

